ArtWhiz

Peacock Drops

2012-01-23T09:22:00.002+05:30

Silver wire, textured bead, floral bead cap, findings and peacock teardrop crystal

TAST 2012 - Feather Stitch (CHEAT)

2012-01-22T19:23:00.001+05:30

I remember signing on for TAST 2011. And just that, signing on. I may or may not have threaded an embroidery needle. My only excuse is that I was suffering from a variation of the edward scissorhands syndrome. Every time i brought out my craftbasket, my fingers turned into knitting needles. sigh. And what's bad about that, you may ask? Well, just remember where I live :)

This year, considering the extorted resolution list, I wandered across to Pin Tangle, and after a very very brief moment of thought, promptly signed up for TAST 2012.

Missing the first few weeks was not the greatest way to start, but this week I decided to jump start myself by looking at some of the other entries. O.o I was delighted, inspired, and totally crestfallen, in that order. Delighted at all the awesome entries, inspired by the brilliantly creative ones, and crestfallen to see how i'd let myself slide.

And then I pulled up my (handknit) socks, and sternly told myself to get to it. The best prep, I decided, would be to finish the piece I'd started just before I left for Kolkata - a lightly embroidered Kurta. So I pull it out, AND!!!! imagine my surprise and glee when i discover that what i'd started was - FEATHER STITCH :D

Oh my goodness, the crafty knobby-fingered muses of embroidery must have decided i needed some help to get going! A couple of evenings, and I was all done...

Anchor Stranded Embroidery Cotton, three strands. Barred Chain Stitch and Feather Stitch, around neck and front slit, and sleeve edges.

i think i'll dig out some little pearls to add to this..

A Beady Pin

2012-01-20T12:53:00.002+05:30

My friends at Ravelry are delightfully pushy!! I was dithering and dragging myself out of 2011 when they shamed me into posting a list of crafty resolutions :

one piece of beaded jewelry a week
embroidery at least 3 times a week
sketch a face at least one a week
intarsia
more painting and dollmaking
regular blog entries

Of course, I have the excuse of Kolkata for the first week, and catching up for the one after, but i'd better really get along, ought'nt I??

Copper wire 12 and 16 gauge, and a gypsy glass bead became a shawl pin. The time i spent watching a youtube video of making wire spirals was well worth it. I'm really happy with the wire shaping and the finish on this one :)

Never a Boring Stripe II

2012-01-20T12:04:00.003+05:30

I whizzed merrily along on this knit until i reached the expected hurdle a few rows into section 9 - i ran out of yarn!! So this one is in the hibernating capsule until reinforcements arrive :)

Kolkata Redux

2012-01-15T18:00:00.000+05:30

Six months later, almost a new city!! Kolkata in winter is as different as it can get from Kolkata in summer..

A Dash of Holiday Color

The Calm Before the Storm

Starting With a Drumroll

Rowing to Win

And the Flags Fly High

The One That Got Away

Power Break

The Scents of Success

Fletcher the Happy Frog

2012-01-15T12:00:00.003+05:30

Another toy!! I do love frogs, and this one made me happy even before he kissed me!!!!

Pattern: Happy Frog
Designer: Emily Stoneking
Available at: Crafty Hedgehog
Ravelry project page: Fletcher the Happy Frog

Never a Boring Stripe I

2012-01-15T11:24:00.000+05:30

A few years ago, after a very long break from yarny pursuits, I was trolling the web for info on spinning. TheGirlWhoCriedWool had been bitten by the bug, and was flashing tempting pictures. This was when I joined Ravelry. I had earlier come up on the site during my craftschool blogging days, but this was when i REALLY looked at it.

One of the first things that struck my newly reincarnated knitting persona was the new stripey yarns. In my knitting past, i'd loved the "ombres", but this was something else. And but of course, it was Noro Kureyon that had me on my knees.

A rather long wait ensued before i actually managed to get my hands on some, and even longer before i actually knit with it. When I saw the call for testknitters for Abbey Phelps "Stripes are Boring", of course I had to jump in!! Abbey was nice enough to extend the deadline for me, so I got started as soon a I returned from Kolkata.

Noro Kureyon, on my favorite US 9 Chiagoo Red 40"circs. Four sections in, just a couple of feet short of my first ball. I'm going to need this longer than what i'd get with my 2 balls, so i scouted around and ordered a couple more - hope it gets here soon!!

HomeLess Gnome

2012-01-15T10:14:00.000+05:30

Last year, i fell into a gnome-making frenzy. I must've made more than a dozen of these leetle fellas. I made only the one this year, and I'm happy to report I still LOVE making them!!

The family I made last year -

Pattern: No Home Gnomes
Designer: Phoeny
Available at: Phoenixknits on Ravelry
Ravelry project page: A Menagerie

Fairies Usher in 2012

2012-01-15T10:00:00.001+05:30

Happy New Year to All!!

Travel and the post-travel catching up have pushed my first post for 2012 well into the year :)

I'll start with this set of notecards I made for a young lady who likes fairies, swirls and purple...

I was in a great rush last time to get the pictures up, but the yellow ones in the post below are inspired by Dia de Los Muertos.

Shiny Doodles

2012-01-01T11:41:00.001+05:30

notecards - pen and ink

The Ghostly Thread III

2011-12-25T10:55:00.000+05:30

Finished with heavy iron interfacing, backing and zigzag stitches on the sewing machine.

I used a high count fine black cotton fabric with the palest pink polka dots for the backing - and forgot to take pictures!!

I cut both the interfacing and the backing larger, and ironed the layers together. Next, on my sewing machine, i sewed a couple of lines of straight stitches around the edge. I cut a little outside these stitches with my roller cutter - this gives a very straight, sharp edge. Finally a couple of zigzag rounds - i "helped" the feed around a bit for a less structured look.

Some braid and beads, and it was done!!

Dragons and Door Gods

2011-12-18T21:42:00.000+05:30

My sons swing between seeing me as the Naive Ignoramus and the Master Blaster. This was one of the latter instances. My irrepressible youngest waltzed in and announced that he needed to make a model for this year's project - it had to bigger and better than last year's, a neat little resort cottage with glazed windows, paned doors, wall-fitted lights and a gazillion pieces of broomstick cut to size and stuck onto the facade. This year, he announced, he was going for gold - his model should be so awesome that it would be chosen to be centerpiece. He had picked the magnificent temple of Mazu in Singapore - Thian Hock Keng.

Now, I'm not a total pushover. Last year, the kid's plans had far outstripped his talents. I had started him off with a few tips on model building, but soon discovered that about the only part of it within his reach was cutting the broomstick to size. Not wanting to get into an exercise of that proportion again, I read him the terms, not forgetting the fine print.

Well, he IS a year older. And marginally wiser. After a few fruitful hours with his ready reference, Wikipedia (i swear he has a physical cable connecting him to it, i just need to find it), he had a rough copy of the floor plan, some ideas for detailing, and a list of materials. A trip to the stationers brought home mountboards, colored cardstock, corrugated sheets, paints, fevicol, colored cellotape and shiny new cutters.

I found a dramatic improvement in his marking and cutting skills (although he did insist on using my precious 24"x6" quilting scale!!), and we spent the next few days putting the model together.

The Main Temple

Constraints of time and scale significantly curtailed our initial ideas - mseal dragons and curved pagoda roofs gave way to more two dimensional detailing. Glossy color printouts and scissors came to our aid. We also made liberal use of artistic license!!

The Outer Arcades and an Entrance

Paper Dragons

Tiled Central Courtyard

The Main Shrine of Mazu Through Three Door Openings

Paper Lantern Offerings Along Inner Courtyard

The Temple

Facade and Entrance

The Mandatory Green

And YESSSS!!! it made centerpeice... :)

Bruised Plums

2011-12-05T18:55:00.001+05:30

Strip quilting is fun. I love putting the fabrics together, and those lovely lines of bumps that result. This piece became a drawstring bag., fully lined, with two inside pockets, and fabric drawstrings. The quilted section is 14" x 26", and the finished bag is 12"wide x15"tall x 4"deep.

The Ghostly Thread - II

2011-12-05T18:49:00.001+05:30

On to plying the needle. A #8 crewel needle is my preferred choice for this piece. A 7" wooden hoop to hold the fabric taught - I learnt early on how crucially this affects the finish.

I had a brief moment of pause when I considered working the piece entirely in black, but the pumpkin was loudly insistent on being orange, so I went with color. (next time, I should probably use my color markers for the sketch!)

Jack is worked in stem stitch, straight stitch and satin stitch, his cape in feather stitch. The bat is herringbone stitch, the spider satin and straight. The pumpkin is worked in palestrina stitch, satin, straight and french knots, and the leaves buttonhole, stem and satin. The web is worked with straight stitch and feather stitch.

The hardest thing about freestyle embroidery is knowing when you're done. Most of the time, your eye will tell you. In case of doubt, I have a couple of strategies. I set the piece aside for a day or so, and work on something else. When I pick it up again, I'm usually able to decide if I'm done or it needs a few more touches. The other technique is to hold the piece up to a mirror. This shows up any features you may want to add to or change. Lately, I've started photographing the pieces, which also helps.

Keep in mind how you're going to finish your piece. I stopped shy just a titch in this one because I know that the edge treatment i have in mind for the bookmark will complete the study.

The Ghostly Thread - I

2011-12-03T19:46:00.000+05:30

I was doing a bit of showing off on Ravelry, and it led to this - a custom embroidered bookmark.
Exciting at any level, but more so because I had just the right amount of direction to adhere to, yet was allowed ample artistic license to rouse the Muse.
The recipient is partial to the ghostly and ghoulish, and specifically asked if I could include Jack Skellington, a pumpkin and bats. With this brief, I decided I would begin with a concept sketch to get a feel for the elements, shapes and proportions.

Once I was satisfied with the sketch, I worked on the dimensions for the bookmark, and which parts of my sketch I would use. The fabric I chose is a white cotton handloom, soft with a slightly rustic look. As my sheets of white carbon were AWOL as usual, I just roughly traced the pattern through the fabric, using ::sigh:: my 0.2 rotring nib.

In God's Own Country

2011-12-02T09:59:00.000+05:30

Blue and Green are always favorites with us Aquarians. When the blue is water and the green is leaves - aaaah!!!

In Allepey at the Junior National Rowing Championships -

Freaky Bunnies

2011-11-02T10:05:00.001+05:30

I guess i'll never grow up - i still get all excited when i get to play with paper and pens!!

Lace makes Lace

2011-11-02T10:01:00.001+05:30

My very first time knitting lace with laceweight yarn. I loved using the Hedgehog fibres Silk/Merino, and it blocked out beautifully with great stitch definition.

Pattern: Averin
Designer: franticthumb
Ravelry project page:Thunder makes Averin

This was also my first time using blocking wires, and I think they're really helpfully for rectangular/straight edge blocking.

Now, where was I???

2011-11-02T09:53:00.000+05:30

The boy got his first college knit - it was only when uploading pictures realized that i'd picked his school colors!!

Pattern: My Own
Ravelry project page: Scarlet Cobbles

i think this may be the beginning of the end of following patterns for me :)

Fish in the Sun Socks

2010-12-20T17:11:00.000+05:30

Pattern: Pomatomus
Designer: Cookie A.
Available at: Knitty
Ravelry project page: Fish in the Sun Socks

Leaves Me Pink

2010-12-20T17:05:00.000+05:30

Pattern: Interlocking Leaves
Designer: Kelly PorpigliaAvailable at: Knitty
Ravelry project page: Leaves Me Pink

From the Lakshman Jhoola

2010-12-20T16:59:00.002+05:30

Ganga Aarti at Haridwar

2010-12-20T16:50:00.000+05:30

Sunniefairy Strikes!!

2010-12-20T16:46:00.000+05:30

Tidepools of Summer

2010-12-20T16:42:00.000+05:30

For a while there, all my batiks were inspiring totes!!

Flying High

2010-12-20T16:36:00.000+05:30

Made for a bird-crazy friend!

errr.... yes, that IS a moustache on the second picture. I was doing some photo-shopping for an avatar, and seem to have saved it!!

Simply Solace

2010-12-20T16:28:00.000+05:30

My year-ending housekeeping has just revealed that i'm about to get an F in Blogging.

i shall quickly try to ramp up my grades : )!!

This was a test knit for a fellow Ravelry designer, and my first colorwork after a verrrry looo-ooo-ng time. I was pretty happy with the results!! I followed the stranded knitting techniques from this video, and did two-at-a-time magic loop.

Pattern: Solace
Designer: Cristi Ebersole
Available at: Testing
Ravelry project page: Hot Pink Solace

And then another Ravelry member commissioned a pair -

Pattern: Solace
Designer: Cristi Ebersole
Available at: Testing
Ravelry project page: Strawberry Shortcake Solace

and the designer needed a sample knit -

Note-y Cards

2010-09-15T10:21:00.000+05:30

Poseidon Twists Down

2010-09-15T10:11:00.000+05:30

Pattern: EmbonpointDesigner: Hunter HammersenAvailable at: Violently Domestic
Ravelry project page: Poseidon Twists Down

Bluebirds Nesting Needles

2010-09-15T09:54:00.001+05:30

Akron Bound

2010-09-13T08:44:00.000+05:30

made for k2psocks -

Pattern: Minions
Designer: Heather Sebastian
Available at: Ravelry Download
Ravelry project page: Akron Bound

Sami's Halia

2010-09-13T08:37:00.000+05:30

Made for sford10 for her wedding

Pattern: Halia
Designer: Jennifer Benson
Available at: Knitpicks
Ravelry project page: Sami's Halia

Much Tweaked Sage-Ly

2010-09-13T08:26:00.001+05:30

A Ravelympics project with locally sourced tape yarn that i crock-pot dyed with direct dyes. The hat is knit with a crocheted brim.

Pattern: Lina
Designer: Johanna
Available at: Joko Knits
Ravelry project page: Much Tweaked Sage-Ly

Emerald Needle Roll

2010-09-13T08:19:00.000+05:30

made for the beadedknitter -

Dragonfly Project Bag

2010-09-13T08:16:00.000+05:30

Indian cotton batik, 14" x 11", sturdy fabric drawstrings, lined with two inside pockets.

Blue Filgiri Socks

2010-09-13T08:11:00.000+05:30

A test knit for Wonk -

Pattern: Filigree Socks
Designer: Ashley Knowlton
Available at: Ashley Knits
Ravelry project page: Blue Filgiri Socks

The Quintet QED

2010-08-27T20:41:00.002+05:30

Peronel

Emanel

Dhanavanthri 9

2010-04-12T12:04:00.001+05:30

Dhanavanthri 8

2010-04-12T12:03:00.001+05:30

Dhanavanthri 7

2010-04-12T12:00:00.000+05:30

Dhanavanthri 6

2010-04-12T11:59:00.000+05:30

Dhanavanthri 5

2010-04-12T11:57:00.000+05:30

Dhanavanthri 4

2010-04-12T11:56:00.000+05:30

Dhanavanthri 3

2010-04-12T11:54:00.000+05:30

Dhanavanthri 2

2010-04-12T11:51:00.000+05:30

Dhanavanthri

2010-01-23T07:21:00.000+05:30

Toasting 2010 with Grapes!

2010-01-16T10:21:00.000+05:30

With just a few weeks more of class to go, Mr Lee is teaching us some fun, easy techniques!

and a beautiful bouquet of roses!

An Xmas Bouquet

2009-12-25T11:50:00.001+05:30

Roses again!

A diversion -

And this from Mr Lee!

Plume Beret

2009-12-25T11:03:00.001+05:30

Here's the topper i crocheted with my first handpainted cotton tape..

Pattern: Phannie
Designer: Phoebe Gaughan
Available at: Berrocco
Ravelry project page: Plume Beret

A Red, Red Rose - Or a Few

2009-12-25T10:52:00.000+05:30

Another crazy blur of activities that have left me behind...

First - yes, we did get to the roses!

Here are Mr Lee's -

And here is mine -

All those doodlings in physics class have not been in vain - this one flew of the brushes!!

Cotton Cabalism

2009-12-02T10:57:00.001+05:30

more fun with cotton and colors!

first - this is some cotton yarn i found at my wick supplier, it comes on reels. i skeined it and handpainted, setting it in the microwave. Dyeing cotton is definitely easier on your senses - practically no fumes.

i first soaked the hanks in warm water with a tsp of slurry and one of soda ash. For the dye stock, i mixed up 2 tsps of each color with about 2 cups of hot water, 2 tsps soda ash, and 2 tbsp salt. Squeezed most of the water out of the skeins, laid them across my drainboard [great tip from ravelry] and spooned the dye on the sections. squeezed the sections a bit to evenly distribute the dye, wrapped each separately in plastic wrap. placed in microwave safe dish. microwaved on hi for 5 minutes, thrice, with 5 mins between each zap. let sit for about 15 mins, rinsed.

the green dye was waaay more than what i needed, so i quickly soaked up some cotton tape, mixed up some blue, and painted that as well. here it is -

After rinsing out the initial color, i ran each lot separately thru one cycle in the washing machine. This washed out all the excess dye. Check out the wool i had used to tie down the hanks [YES! not tangles!] - it hasnt taken up any of the dye....

learnings for the next time -

i could probably dye three skeins with the dye i mixed up
have some extra yarn ready to use up excess dye if any
remember to put on the gloves earlier

A Flower Garden

2009-12-02T10:10:00.001+05:30

I returned after my second missed class to find Mr Lee demonstrating the most ethereal groupings of peonies.

Am afraid i am seriously behind :(

these are the roses Mr Lee worked on while the rest of us were stressing over the peonies - maybe we will get to this lesson next?

and finally - the lovely spray Sunitha found on her walk. can anyone help identifying it?

Pansies in a Row

2009-11-28T17:31:00.001+05:30

This cowl was where the great dying experiment started. *salute*. when i saw the yarn used by the designer, i was tempted to overdye some of my yarn, and i was off...

Pattern: Stacked Eyelet Cowl
Designer: Ami Madison
Available at: SourCherries

Ravelry project page: Pansies in a Row
This is some of the overdyed yarn from pune, stashed in Ravelry as Pansy in Bloom.

A Winter Slouch

2009-11-28T17:14:00.000+05:30

I had a rather long photo session when a partner in crime visited, so an update on a buch of projects will follow.

Pattern: Slouchy Springtime Beret
Designer: Little Miss Muffet
Available at: Skeins and Steins

Ravelry project page: A Winter Slouch
This is some of the DK yarn from pune - a lovely color, too dark to overdye.

Very Many Distractions

2009-11-28T16:49:00.000+05:30

Regattas, Ravelling and Writing have kept me away from blogging and painting... at least i have pictures to show for the first two :)

A Splash of Color

2009-11-16T11:02:00.000+05:30

Orangecaps!

2009-11-16T10:42:00.002+05:30

I finally made a hat! This one came up for testing, and i just HAD to sign up for it. And i am glad i did - it was a fast and easy knit, and left me with a warm feeling towards hats.

Pattern: Whitecaps Hat
Designer: Emily Wessel
Available at: damp city knits
Ravelry project page: Orangecaps

This is some of the overdyed yarn from pune, stashed in Ravelry as terracotta bake.

Many thanks to the young man who readily modelled it for pics!

The Peony

2009-10-28T09:00:00.000+05:30

For our first class after deepavali, Mr Lee had a wonderful surprise for us - opulent peonies!
It is amazing to watch such sumptuousness emerge from brush and black ink on a simple sheet of rice paper.

I was very touched when Mr Lee inscribed my sample with a message wishing Fortune and Riches to my family - for the first time, he also used his wood blocks to stamp on his name and message.

And here's mine...

Showing Off Baudelaire Bleu

2009-10-26T19:29:00.000+05:30

One more project I was happy to finish - although i have knit several pairs over the last six months [most of them being frogged], this is the first pair i was REALLY satisfied with.

Shashi has modelled them for me, and I hope they keep her feet toasty warm on cold winter evenings out in London.

Pattern: Baudelaire
Designer: Cookie A.
Available at: Knitty
Ravelry project page: Baudelaire Bleu

I have only ever done magic loop, toe up, two at a time, and had a tricky moment there when I had to start on the cables. This was when I really missed having a second set of needles.

purple 'n pins

2009-10-26T19:13:00.001+05:30

I have been testing a bunch of projects for fellow Ravelers, and this seems to have cured me of my frogging syndrome and left me witha bunch of great FOs. The prettiest has got to be this cute little crochet pincushion I tested for Leanda.

Pattern: Hexagon Pincushion
Designer: Leanda Xavian
Available at: One Loop Short
Ravelry project page: purple 'n pins

I had the chance to show off some of my stash of pearl cotton on this one. It worked up fast and easily, and it was interesting to watch the hexagons fall into place. I was also pleasantly surprised to see that i had a nice sized pincushion - not too small, as i had feared.

Ppppurrrrrple!!!

2009-10-21T07:51:00.002+05:30

I suppose deepavali would have been less hectic if i hadnt taken it upon myself to do this!-

Following my tuesday fetish, i cast on for a new pattern i am testing for LilyGo - i have been eyeing her Dahlia [ravlink] ever since I saw it featured on Ravelry, and i jumped at this wonderful chance. Several rows in, i decided that the yarn i had chosen wouldnt do, and i HAD to dye up some of the cotton tape i had found in George Town. This is my first attempt at dyeing from scratch.

The one kilo i needed was a tight fit for my largest pot, but i went the soda ash, direct dye and salt way, with 3 parts of rose and one part of sky blue. The recipe and process i found here worked perfectly, and the residual waste had almost no color in it. And since i had enough yarn to justify using the washing machine, rinsing and drying were a breeze. I should probably have tied down the skeins more (they came tied up at one spot), but was too impatient. When I saw the tangles, i was : ( , but the tape untangles easily. I also seem to have mastered the knack of rolling neat center-pull balls.

I am very happy with the way this is knitting up, although i think nickel-plated needles would be better suited to this yarn than the bamboo i am using.

Yes, it's Autumn!

2009-10-20T07:54:00.004+05:30

Preparing for Deepavali was a doozy, as ever. I wonder how they ever managed in the old days, with a zillion people in each household and a gazillion things to do...

And that means i am backlogged on my blogs. to catch up - here's a pattern I tested for the talented Linda Perlman.

Pattern: Autumn Leaves Tote Bag
Designer: Linda Permann
Available at: Lindamade's Shop
Ravelry project page: Yes, it's Autumn!

I had all the materials in my stash :) - the brown Caron from my earliest days in college, the Vardhman chunky from a long ago trip to Pune, and the lovely lining fabric from my quilting stash. The beaded flower was my first ever wire beading project.

When I first saw all the scs and hdcs in the instructions, i balked - oh no, this is going to be so slow, was where my brain stuck at. but i decided to plow away, and soon discovered that this was a FAST make - the crochet didnt take more than a couple of evenings, as Linda promised.

I couldnt find the D-rings for the handles in my stash - a visit to the store yielded these-

The matching zipper pulls were a pleasant bonus!

I added a small pocket and a divider to the lining. Now I have a great bag to go!

Age Brings Wisdom

2009-10-12T16:43:00.002+05:30

This week we explored the pine tree in greater detail, playing with slight shadows to create an illusion of depth and fullness, and spent some time studying the crane.

Here are some of Mr Lee's samples -

and my attempts -

For the last few weeks, we have been joined in class by Mr Seung Doh Lee and his lovely wife Baek Myung. This charming couple have lived in India for over 13 years now, and offer a wealth of observations and anecdotes on their experiences. Mr SD Lee informed me that the pine tree and the crane, both of which have long lifespans, symbolize hardy old age and wisdom.

And indeed you can feel all the gnarls and knots of knowledge in these samples from Mr Lee -

and i was rather pleased with mine!

Back From the South

2009-10-09T10:02:00.003+05:30

Was late for class this week.. so no sample from Mr. Lee... instead we both took turns to work on this pinetree.

Looks like it's spring - a fresh sprig shoots out from a weathered old trunk.

And the birds are back!

Here it is, all done!

Lush Love

2009-10-06T13:51:00.000+05:30

I am constantly coming across afficianodos of the handknit wool sock, but it wasnt until today that i could relate with that...

I am knitting Baudelaire with a blue fingering wool I had picked up in Pune, and tried it on to check out the heel.AAaaah! Bliss! and if i feel this way in chennai which is just turning from hotter to hot, i can imagine what it'd be like for those in cooler climes.

I am also so in love with The Fleegle Symmetrical Short Row - works up much faster than the wraps [ mine always tend to get tight ] and looks yummy on BOTH sides.

A Day at the Beach

2009-10-05T19:58:00.000+05:30

It had to be a pretty good excuse to make me miss sumi class last sunday - and it was...

Amelie the Elegant

2009-09-21T11:24:00.000+05:30

I signed up to test knit these gloves because they looked very elegant and the pattern seemed simple. I was pleasantly surprised to come up against certain advanced design elements i had never tried before - in fact i was rather ambivalent towards - the picot edge, cuff shaping, and novel thumb increases.

Pattern: Amelie Fingerless Gloves
Designer: Linn
Available at: Fiolinn's Etsy Shop
Ravelry project page: Amelie the Elegant

Linn is from Stavanger in Norway, and I answered her call on the pattern testing site on Ravelry. Thanks Linn, for letting me test your pattern, and thanks Ravelry for bringing two knitters from all the way across the world together!

The Pine Tree

2009-09-21T11:02:00.000+05:30

Mr Lee had a nice surprise for us at this week's class - The Pine Tree!

Interesting without being too challenging, the gnarled, woody pine was a welcome diversion for us.

Here are Mr Lee's compositions -

and this is mine - my pine needles look rather straggly :(. And need to work more on the "old" bark...

Chrysanthemums Herald Autumn

2009-09-16T08:38:00.002+05:30

After a whole year of classes, Mr Lee finally showed me how to write my name in Korean - there it is, the line of characters running down the middle :)

Thus We Paint

2009-09-16T08:11:00.000+05:30

I was looking thru my photos of the brush painting class, and realized that while i had pictures of the paintings and a few of "break time", there were none of class actually in progress. So here goes -

Shifting and Reshifting

2009-09-15T11:27:00.000+05:30

Now that I've moved house twice in two months, i think i've pretty much made up for my lack of adventurous experiences :)

An artist friend was also the only one brave enough to point out my "artistic temperament" which made the second move necessary - although i do think that anyone who continued in THAT place would have to be more than slightly bonkers!

so now that i have found myself a new haven, and connect to the outside world once again thru Airtel, i am at peace. and one hopes that will be enough to ensure regular blog posts.

the Second Move, since it had to be, was planned to be swift and clean. no more than 5 days to account for packing, transporting, and unpacking. i really didnt want to go thru all the angst of relocation again.

the universe has a way of balancing itself. i don't know if i would have been successful with this "plan", if another friend had not offered a vehicle and a team to help in the process. as it is, it went off very smoothly, and once again i am beginning to believe that everything works out for one who goes with the flow, rather than fight it.

In the Shadows

2009-08-26T11:03:00.005+05:30

of course i had to play with my new stuff!

here's what came out -

both the royal blue and the emerabld green where very saturated, quite dark colors, so i figured i would just put on some in some black to add some shadows.

i used the acid - soaked yarn in 4 ltrs warm water with the 1 tsp soap slurry. squeezed out. mixed up dye stock and painted, nuked in microwave. cooled and rinsed out with some more soap slurry.

the yarns now have deep black shadows, a few "heathered" sections and some bright highlights. :)

a few things that i noted -

* fumes! yes there are more stringent fumes with acid dyes
* vinegar is an acid too! the stuff we use is diluted, and since we eat it, i had quite forgotten its acidic nature. the concentrated acetic acid has strong fumes - i didnt even try touching it!
* the waste water looks really vile and polluting!

Dyeing Fabric - The Georgetown Way

2009-08-26T10:06:00.003+05:30

my latest dye job was a fiasco.

of course i had to drown my sorrows! so i promptly put on my comfiest clothes and walking shoes, emptied out the emergency cash box, grabbed a large shopping bag and made off o chennai's wholesale district, george town.

it was a great informative trip. i first went to a cotton thread supplier and picked up some undyed cotton thread on reels and hanks of cotton tape.

next to the dye stuff supplier. after a bit of runaround, i found the wholesaler,who pointed me to a retailer. (here i took a dokhla/basundi break at Aggrawal bhavan, a famous local snackery)

then the dye retailer. here i struck gold! seems that dyes have come a loong way in india. the shopkeeper was a quiet sort, but by the time we were through, he had given me a whole lot of tips :)

* there are 3 types of dyes available in the market - direct, acid and basic(or base). direct is for cotton, acid for silk and wool, and basic for any natural fibre.

* acid dyes are about 30-40% more expensive than direct across the board, but rates vary within the groups for individual colors

* colors can be mixed within groups, but not across

* the latest direct colors dont need any additives or fixers, except for 1/ tsp table salt per tsp of dye powder when we mix the dye stock. he was most definite that we dont need to use soda ash - i asked him several times.

* for each tsp acid dye, you must add 1/ tsp table salt and 1/ tsp acetic acid to dye stock. no fixer necessary here either

* basic dye needs no additives or fixers, and can give very bright colors, but these may fade sooner than the others.

* you will need to add twice the quantity of black dye to get a true black.

* some colors are bulkier than others - for eg. red is fluffier than blue, so if you are measuring rather than weighing, you would need to remember that

* all the dyes need to be used immediately - you cant mix and store dye stock

* the dye powder can be stored indefinitely as long as it says dry - tis means taking care to use a dry spoon to measure out the powder

* for immersion dyeing, you presoak fabric/yarn, lightly squeeze out. heat just enough water to cover yarn, add dye stock, yarn, simmer 20 mins for silk, 30 for cotton. stir so dye strikes evenly.
cool and rinse out.

ok, i think i got it all. It took him a good 1/2 hour to measure out and pack my purchases, which was when he loosened up and passed on all this info.

i wrapped up my purchases for the day with a bottle of acetic acid, and a bottle of "slurry", which is the concentrated detergent used in liquid soap.

i felt a little guilty at splurging out on my stash, but quickly reconciled to it by reminding myself how long it had been since i bought a silk sari or jewelry :) this is way more fun all around!

Peach? Grey? not any more!

2009-08-19T10:52:00.006+05:30

It's official. I am in big trouble. Been really, badly bitten by this hand painting bug. :/sigh

this is what came out this week. these are the 4-plys Vardhman wool, DK. wonderfully soft, rich colors. so why am i painting on them? it's got to be the sickness :)

here they are, with a hank of the original by the side.

yellow and purple worked this one up like a dream.

wanted to pick the peach up with red and a magenta, but first time around, the vinegar turned the red dyestock green. i went ahead anyway, but after 6 mins in the microwave, the skein washed out completely to peach.

the second pass, i added SALT to the dyestock. some of the red turn green on contact with the wool, but it seems to have worked in. the magenta, on the other hand, is a bit weak . hmm, i guess i am going to have to play around.

i bought some soda ash to try, but i am wondering if i should just go and get some acid dyes from george town, and save the fiber reactives. that would definitely make it BIG trouble :)

Many Firsts

2009-08-12T09:52:00.008+05:30

Elfine was the first sock pattern I fell in love with. It was the first one I downloaded.

But i was smart enough to realize that it needed the right yarn to do justice to it. So i was really happy to see that the very first yarn i handpainted would be perfect for it. So here is my version of Elfine, in Yadvi Peacock.

The sock turned out to be rather larger than i expected, and will fit a women's size large, I am guessing. and as there was no way i could fit them well on my super small feet, i honeyed my youngest to pose for me. This he did happily, with the only condition being that the legs be given credit as belonging to " the one who rows" :).

I worked the short row heel as in the pattern, but did a 2x2 rib 1.5" long for the cuff, finishing with my favorite Camden bind-off.

Moving on to Mums

2009-08-12T09:33:00.010+05:30

Mr Lee has finally moved us on to the chrysanthemums. Which after two classes have proven themselves to be deceptive in their simplicity and quite persnicketacious. Here are some pictures from class -

the flower

the leaf

compositions

a panel

and grapes to try out when we are stumped by the mums!

Painting Yarn

2009-08-04T10:06:00.014+05:30

When the ravellers met on Saturday, I had taken along some of the sock yarn i had bought in Pune in May.

i was lucky enough to find good wool [Vardhman] in the height of summer, and that too in three weights - fingering, sport and DK. But most of the sport yarn was in jewel bright solids. i knit a couple up, but then decided that i needed more interest in the colorways. as i had a lot of dyes lying around i decided to add in some striping. i was mulling over this process when the meet came up.

i took along a bright turquoise blue hank, to bounce around some ideas. Vidya pointed me along the right track when she suggested painting. I decided to go with hand painting with my dyes and setting in the microwave.

The tomato pink was an unplanned entry. I mixed up some of the dye and realized that the packets had been mislabelled - the deep purple and the turquoise blue seemed to have switched places, and the deep olive green looked more deep brown. So i looked carefully at the powders, and mixed up the real deep purple and a deep yellow for the blue yarn, leaving the turquoise blue and the brown for the pink.

Setting in the microwave.

This one came out exactly as i had imagined it, and i was delighted with my very first batch.

When i first took the pink out, i was very disappointed, because the colors had not set in as well as on the blue. But as the skein dried and softened, i was very happy with the subtle coloring.

oh, and my quality control manager, Moo Chin, smelled them, rubbed them, hugged them, and pronounced them fit!

The Chennai Ravellers

2009-08-04T08:34:00.010+05:30

Those who live with me will be able to tell you that for the better part of last year, my starring obsession has been yarn and needles.

It was The Girl Who Cried Wool who set me on to this track. A casual mention of spinning, some tempting eye candy of lovely burnished wooden drop spindles and soft pink roving, and i was hooked.

But it was Ravelry that made sure i was well and truly snared! Sleepless nights of browsing, casting on and off, and much frogging ensued. Yet i stayed away from all the groups, thinking that i must be the only crazy person from Chennai India who'd be knitting in this blisteringly hot, winter-deficient zone. Imagine my surprise last month, when i finally checked out the South Asian Crafters group, and discovered not just another but FOUR more of my kind right here in this city!

This weekend we all met up at Anise at the Taj for lunch, and here are the pics -

The Whole Gang -Shilpa, Vidya, Gomathi, moi and Leann.

Rich, luxe silken cord. Leann made a bag from it, and generously let Shilpa have the remains for lunch :)

The brown bag is Vidya's, and the straw-y one mine... ok, we confess - neither of us made those bags, but it sure was fun pretending we did!

Shilpa read my thoughts and brought us all lovely beaded stitch markers - for both knitting and crochet!

THIS bag is Vidya's handiwork, and went camping with her kids.

And last but not the least, the lovely Panda Cotton Leann gifted each of us. As all the others like pastels, and i was a late entry, i drew potluck and really lucked out with the Nasturtiums - i love this vibrant colorway, and the yarn feels fantastic.

Apart from the great fun and goodies, i came away greatly inspired, having learnt many more lessons. Those in future posts.

On to Mums

2009-07-31T10:11:00.006+05:30

OMG, didnt realise i had not posted for almost two weeks! better get on with it soon.

Sumi class has been a bit on and off, with Mr Lee travelling around the world. I did make it to several sessions, and got a grip on the plum branch and blossom. so when Mr Lee presented me with yet another, i rebelled -
But Mr Lee, gentleman though he is, is of the old school, and so i ended up doing this -

I was rather pleased with it at the end, and felt definitely more in control. Mr Lee was happy too, and rewarded me with this for 'home-training' -

Not wanting to seem unappreciative, i came up with this -

Then i was inspired some more, and here is my first 'own composition' -

Kantha Covers

2009-07-19T07:57:00.006+05:30

I rarely buy sewn objects, preferring to custom fit my own, even if they are just curtains or cushion covers. Even rarer is my buying an embroidered piece. Lately, however, i have been indulging in a few heavily-worked beauties. Done in the Kantha style by the traditional indian craftsmen, these are exquisite creations.

As i was unpacking my linen the other day, i came across a pair of these cushion covers. They had been neatly packed away in a loft, having been acquired during my cushionless interlude. I decided that now was as good a time to have their debut.

A single strand of silk worked on on midnight blue satin-knit. The stitches are tiny and carefully worked. It would be difficult and time consuming to match the mastery of these craftsmen, most of them having practiced this trade since they were 6-7 years old.

And btw, i found one on the floor yesterday under no.2 son's head as he watched TV :( sigh !!!

Summer Blooms

2009-07-16T08:34:00.006+05:30

Mr Lee's class was off for the summer too. The scheduled break for the month of May, however, spilled over into June as well, and now the gang is slowly reassembling on Sunday afternoons, with a couple of new faces.

The first week, Mr Lee had seven sheets of the following for each of us, but i was the only one who showed up.

And here is my version -

The next week started badly - i guess i was tired, and it showed. It took a few chiding words from Mr Lee to put me back on track. He didnt pen his words on it at first, but then deigned to do so.

Back Again, Hopefully to Stay!

2009-07-15T18:05:00.006+05:30

Oh boy, has this been a loooong summer! Apart from the usual summer madness, add in two young men finishing up college and getting set to start work, one kid training to row at the subjunior nationals, and one home to be moved. Yes, it was hectic, but now hopefully it's all passed, and now armed with a brand new internet connection ( good old Bsnl came thru when a private provider let me down miserably ! ), I'm back :).

As ever, tuesday was my lucky day yesterday. I was online after 10 days, and took my sewing machine out for the first time in my new home. The first job was a good old hem on new sheets for my brand new bed.

The next was a bit better - linen holders to hold all our towels. I first made this pattern up from an idea in a magazine, when my eldest was a few weeks old. The diaper hangers not only saved space, they were a boon for carting around all his nappies and burp cloths whenever we travelled to and from the town and the tea estates where we were stationed, which was every week. I would just zip it up, take it off the nail, and put it into the car, and at the destination it would go straight up on its nail - no packing and unpacking, or hunting for baby sized bits of cloth.

As the boys grew, i realized that these things could hold other stuff as well, and more conveniently. And so they have been a fixture in my home ever since.

These two were made to hold towels. And after making more than a dozen, I finally thought to overlap the fronts so the bag stays closed.

A Pair Done

2009-05-01T09:22:00.005+05:30

My sock knitting has been drawing a lot of attention wherever I go. And now that i have a second pair on the needles, many of my friends are enquiring after the first.

Yes, they are done, and rather nicely, if i may say so myself. Magic loop, toe-up, two at a time, starting with Judy Becker's magic cast on, and short row heels with a gusset. Grumperina's favorite bind-off has worked well too. But I am finding the bound off edge of the cuff to be a little skimpy for my taste, so am contemplating frogging and trying Techknitter's tubular cast off. That's why the working yarn is still hanging on to the socks!

Summer Bouquet

2009-04-30T11:02:00.004+05:30

Many times, when i find a precious cotton print that i really love, i save it for a quilt... i figure it will last for much longer. But this time i couldn't resist making up this lovely fabric into a cool sleeveless shell for the summer. And of course, in my usual way, to embellish it with a bit of embroidery.

Brilliant red satin ribbon flowers with orange french knot centers, with a sprinkling of focal floral beads on some of the pattern segments. You can see an unworked segment at upper right.

Bamboos and Color

2009-04-28T09:56:00.007+05:30

Now that he has us all busy with plum trees, Mr Lee has decided to do a series of bamboo as a gift to his talented students! Madhukrishna, our in-house expert on art, has acquired a bundle of the most wonderful rice paper, which Mr Lee has pronounced so fine that it needs no mounting.

Here are the first two in the gift series.

Madhu has also been playing with the chinese water colors, and offers us these delightful pink blooms.

I really like the way he has used the pigment. Not transparent, yet light with great clarity. Exactly like the flowers.

The Winning Gentleman

2009-04-28T09:23:00.005+05:30

The last few weeks have been all about plum branches and blossoms. The textured trunks and branches, different techniques of executing the blooms, and freedom to experiment with compositions have made this "gentleman" a favorite with all of us!

Sabbatical

2009-04-27T12:21:00.009+05:30

I didn't think my not posting would be noticed by anyone, so i was pleasantly surprised when a couple of my friends mentioned it :) I am afraid i have let my blog fall victim to my rather weird summer schedules. shall endeavor to remedy this, as i do have a lot to share.

The break was definitely a busman's holiday. One of my projects that was off the record is Anorvymi, the Ulysses Butterfly, a fabric sculpture i tested for the creative Lee Broom. Lee is a true multimedia artist, and i enjoyed being able to play with both needles and brush.

This was a rather large doll. I chose to make the body and limbs with a high count cotton fabric in black, and the head in a creamy rayon blend. the former turned out to be a tad more difficult to turn than i had expected; the latter, easier. The wings were a no-brainer. i had just the perfect print which called the shots. The wings are quilted and wired.

I beaded the antenae, and picked out the body segments with the same black seed beads. i wanted a painted face, but i went with manga eyes for a more sylph-like appearance.

Was not able to finish all the embellishing i had planned as i was severely behind schedule, but hope to do some more work on her when i have a bit of time.

Lee has an online class available for the Ulysses Butterfly.

Obstruction!

2009-04-08T18:01:00.002+05:30

For those of you who have been wondering where i've gotten too, tell me, how i it possible to finish anything when one has to work around THIS?

Btw, he is now curled up on my lap as i type this!

Tea and Plum Tree

2009-04-06T09:32:00.008+05:30

Last week was a crazy jumble of sock knitting and planning new projects - ok, more of the first than the second! Several new works are now in progress, and i hope to share pictures soon.

First, pictures from yesterday's class - we had rather a poor start, since the coordinator had left too few sheets of paper for us. It was exasperating to work on the newsprint sheets. They had worked well for the orchid and bamboo, but didn't for the gnarly texture of the plum. It was not until snack time that any of us perked up.

We went back to our carefully saved rice paper sheets, and it was pure joy. I was so glad to discover that i had not lost my touch! Mr Lee added his seal of approval with a short verse.

My First Socks

2009-04-02T10:35:00.008+05:30

Most of yesterday, I was down with knitting fever - the only way to deal with it was to start knitting a pair of socks :)

After spending several hours going over all the links i had marked over the past few months, and the forums in ravelry, i was ready to start.

First came out my bag of sock yarn - i settled quickly on Schachenmayr nomotta's Regia Jacquard Color 4-ply / 4-fädig jacquard, since i had decided i was going to avoid the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome by Knitting Two at a Time, and i had two balls of this!

Next the pattern. Just looking through all the lovely cables and laces i'd favorited, i figured that this self-striping yarn would look best if knit in a simple stocking stitch or a very subtle pattern. the striping is one yard lengths of lilac, light blue, medium blue and dark blue, with one yard lengths of stitch length white and dark grey between each -

I had to use the magic loop technique as i had only one circular needle - no dpns. Knitpicks Two at a time, toe up, magic loop pattern looked good, but i wanted to try Judy's Magic Caston as demonstrated by Cat Bordhi.

So i knit up a swatch, cast on, and was off...

Two postscripts - about 8 rows into the twos, my naughty cat caught hold of the working yarn and snapped it - so i just started over - i had matched the striping on both the socks.

And this morning i was taking pics to post, when my youngest, who was getting ready for school, commented, "oh! is that for ravellry? will you say using magic loop and regia four color?" he had been looking over my shoulder all the while, when he was supposed to have been studying for the physics and chemistry exam he has to take today!

A Princess Cut

2009-03-31T10:57:00.006+05:30

For the longest time, i have only made myself simple A-line tunics - short and long, either sleeveless or with short or three-quarter length sleeves, a round, square or vee neck.

When I saw this blouse on Burda, i first dismissed it as too fussy. But when i saw this version in the gallery, i decided to give it a shot. Here is mine without the ruffles or straps.

The princess cut works really well, and so do the sleeves. I didn't feel up to tackling buttonholes, so i sewed on snap fasteners [which for some reason i only have about five thousand of], and the buttons are decorative.

I am already planning versions with regular short or no sleeves.

All Abloom

2009-03-30T08:39:00.005+05:30

This week in the garden, this is what my brush found.

When i started on the flowers, it looked so terrible and ratty that i almost scrapped it. But many many blossoms later, it started looking decent.

Flowers have a way of brightening up everything. Here's what Ranjani's practice flowers linked up to be -

This lovely lady is a fitting rejoinder to "Can't Shan't Won't". On the first day of class, she walked in and asked "I've never held a brush in my life, can i take this class?". Yesterday, i watched as she dashed off these flowers while talking to me.

Single Rep

2009-03-27T09:51:00.004+05:30

I had to do some figuring on this pattern because i'm knitting in a circle. Not sure if it's just me, but rows 29-34 don't look right in the pattern. So I went for it until i finished one repeat - luckily, it does end on row 34. Now i can just steam on with the reps :)

I Got Lucky!

2009-03-26T13:01:00.008+05:30

As I was trolling thru Ravelry, i caught site of the Cascading Leaves sock pattern, and before i knew it, i'd signed up at TownsendSocksKnitALong. When I intorduced myself to the folks there, i confessed to living in a yarnless desert and never having knit a sock.

Imagine my surprise when, the very next day, Jeanie Townsend, the moderator of the group, offered to help me out! And so we are, two weeks later, you have me dancing dizzily with a humungous stash of sock yarn!

The box was about a week late, much to Jeanie's and my despair. But when it did get here - boy oh boy. My youngest was home and received the package from the mailman, and was so-oo-o amused to see me so excited. He and Moo Chin helped me open it.

Jeanie had really stuffed the box as full as she could. It needed an extra strip of cardboard to be properly closed!

The first thing on the top was a bag of superwash merino wool for me to spin with.. such lovely greens. My son immediately tried to book it for himself :)

Then out came all the yummy sock yarn. So much of it, that Moo Chin couldn't believe it when the box was finally empty!

Jeanie, you really are my Fairy Godmother! God Bless!

Green to Go

2009-03-25T10:27:00.003+05:30

I held up yesterday's post because i wanted to post these together =

One of the very first garments i made for myself was a white flower print cotton 3-tiered skirt - it became a favorite and i wore it for several years. When i found this green and beige cheese cotton on sale, i knew it had to be a tiered skirt too.

Yesterday i also completed the embroidery and finished the green top. Summer, here i come!

Knitting for Boys

2009-03-23T10:22:00.008+05:30

When a student of mine kindly offered to send me some yarn from Canada, i gleefully took her up on it. All the crafting shops in this city put together have a total of probably 7 balls of yarn - all of such a virulent synthetic fibre that even a porcupine would cringe, in absolutely vile colors (and when i say vile about a color, believe me, it is). Very much a martyr, i turned my back on all the luscious bamboo, linen and soy, and asked for some good wool for my boys.

Needful Yarns London Tweed arrived - 20 balls each in charcoal, sage green and twilight blue. Wonderfully soft, with beautiful flecks. The boys each picked the color they wanted, and the pattern as well (the criterion for this seems to be a snug fit).

I started off with Durrow in sage green for No.2 son. The pieces are all knit, need to be blocked and seamed.

Next was the charcoal for No.1 son. We chose Jamesey, as he is exactly as described in the pattern - tall and thin with big shoulders. Once past the sideways row, however, i started having serious doubts - the wool did not give me the kind of stitch definition this pattern needs. When i got up to the neck, i checked back with the sleeves, and realized that working out the shorter sleeves and getting the lines to match as well would be a long process. And i was really unhappy with the upper part of the gansey. So frogged it was!

Spent the better part of Saturday figuring out what to do next. I finally settled on the cables from Anna, set in the Skye Tweed Pullover.

Long-tailed caston with a simple loop from Techknitting, with the 3-in-1 TECHjoin for circular knitting. With so many cables to work, i decided to give Grumperina's cabling without a cable needle a shot - works like a breeze. I decided to go the circular rout to avoid seaming. But I did put in side seams by slipping the first stitch after each side marker on every other row -i do like the way it looks. I feel good because after just a couple of hours, i have this to show -

Plum Tree

2009-03-23T10:14:00.002+05:30

Needs many many more flowers, this is where it was at by the end of class -

Practice Paper

2009-03-20T10:37:00.004+05:30

Practice paper is the greatest for working on your brush strokes. Just dip your brush in water and "paint" on it. The stroke dries up in a few minutes, and you can go again. A bit like blotting paper, it comes with a handy printed on grid.

I used it to work on plum blossoms .

Stovepipe Pants

2009-03-19T10:27:00.007+05:30

I have always been a firm believer in drafting my own clothes patterns. As i went looking for a good pattern for pants, i found these printed stovepipes at Burda Fashion. At first i dismissed it as not for me because a) i didnt want to run all over town to get the pattern printed and b) i was not that impossibly thin!

After a good look, though, i decided to give it a shot. I could print the pattern out on my printer at home on regular A4 sheets, and the largest size would be perfect for me. I even had some nice fabric - a block printed cotton of medium weight.

This is what i made -

I left the pockets out and modified the waistbands for a side zipper. Time taken - printing and piecing pattern - 1 hour, cutting and sewing, 2 hrs. The next one will be much faster, as i wouldn't have to try it on as many times to check the fit.

I love the low rise and shaped waistband, and i found out that adding 2" to the hem will make them full length for me !!!! Now to let it hang for a day before i finish the lower hem.

Sunburst

2009-03-19T09:54:00.005+05:30

All was quiet here yesterday since I was too busy playing with this -

My latest summer shell needed some dressing up - little circles of organza edged with chain stitch and buttonhole stitch worked with a variegated cotton embroidery thread. I used a template sheet to draw out the circles, and fixed them in place with a dab of fevikwik and the iron. Now i just have to work about 40 of these little critters :)